ORLANDO, Fla. — If there's ever been a summer to visit a theme park — or two, or three — this is it.

The same jury that convicted Jodi Arias of murder one week ago took less than three hours Wednesday to determine that the former waitress is eligible for the death penalty in the stabbing death of her one-time lover.

“Out of respect for the victims, I refuse to name, watch or listen to the accused, while the victim is six feet under, robbed of their precious lives! I began this promise, to victims, starting in 1995. I blackout all media that creates a rating circus, totally disrespecting the dead... sickening!”

The jury has rendered its verdict — Jodi Arias is guilty of first-degree murder — but the trial is far from finished.

Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday in the gruesome killing of her one-time boyfriend in Arizona after a four-month trial that captured headlines with lurid tales of sex, lies, religion and a salacious relationship that ended in a blood bath.

It has become a real-life soap opera watched by people around the world and dozens of fanatics who camp out on a Phoenix sidewalk in the middle of the night to get into the show. One seat even sold for $200.

The Arizona Cardinals didn’t need this.

LOS ANGELES — Lily Tomlin's admiration for elephants began when she met Ruby and Billy.

NEW YORK — At the beginning of each tourist season, the entrepreneurs who pitch the thrill rides, hot dogs, sideshows and souvenirs at gritty Coney Island gather along its famous boardwalk to pray for two things: good weather and large crowds.

The first image you see in "The Place Beyond the Pines" is of Ryan Gosling's shirtless torso, ripped and tatted atop a skin-tight pair of leather pants.

While the team practiced corner kicks, Xavier girls soccer coach Barb Chura would joke with defender Kellie Peay about never letting her standout defender move up to be a forward in those situations, even with Peay’s obvious header and ball-in-the-air skills.

It’s no surprise that Chelsea Bain has been attending NASCAR races since she was 5 years old. Her dad, Emmett “Buddy” Jobe, brought NASCAR to Phoenix International Raceway in 1987. Now, Bain is more involved in NASCAR than she ever has been, but not as a spectator — as a rockin’ country musician.

As staff at the Mesa Arts Center began preparation for its second “Festival of Creativity,” MAC executive director Cindy Ornstein said the group was looking for something to pique their interests — a spark, of sorts.

"Oz the Great and Powerful" aims for nostalgia in older viewers who grew up on "The Wizard of Oz" and still hold the classic dear while simultaneously enchanting a newer, younger audience. It never really accomplishes either successfully.

Known for its prominent role in the feature film “Water for Elephants,” Circus Vargas entertains audiences with a host of fantastical aerial and acrobatic stunts.

Beware when entering the office of Johnny Knoxville.

Last month, we were all headed to the mall to see Santa Claus. This month, we can catch jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists and stunt men there.

The sheriff for metropolitan Phoenix has launched a plan to have as many as 500 armed volunteers patrol areas just outside schools in an effort to guard against shootings like month's attack that left 26 people dead at a Connecticut elementary school.

A month from now the East Valley’s biggest bash — the seven-week long Arizona Renaissance Festival — kicks off in Apache Junction. This Friday, you can ignite the jovial flame at “The Bard’s New Yeare” celebration sponsored by Mesa Arts Center in conjunction with Downtown Mesa’s 2nd Friday “Ye Olde Main Street Renaissance Faire.”

Christmas is a time for keeping long-standing family traditions. The Zoppé Family has been keeping theirs for almost 200 years.

An East Valley holiday tradition, this Italian family circus brings its one-ring show to Chandler, where you’ll see acrobats, equestrians, canines and clowns put on a show suited for all ages.

There’s a faint collective gasp all around me the instant ten pale horses break from the darkness and tear, as a herd, through a clearing dappled with soft light.